Volunteering in the indiginous village of Yorkin
Trip Start
Dec 31, 2006
1
9
23
Trip End
Mar 27, 2007
Yorkin, Costa Rica
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Minutes after we began, it started to rain!! Our canoe was made out of a big tree and had some cracks in it that leaked!! The ride took us down one river and up another that bordered on Panama!! The rain was actually refreshing so please don't feel sorry for me!! After one hour of breathtaking scenery, lush green jungle and the clouds hanging on the mountains, we were docking!! Now a 20 minute hike to Yorkin!! Our path was a mud trail through cacoa trees!! We reached our camp and were shown our quarters. A quaint little cabana alongside the river!! Bunk beds and mosquito nets (that is good!!). There were cold showers and flush toilets!! So it wasn't all rough! They used one shower stall to store bags of fermenting cacoa beans, so there was always a peculiar odor!!
The days in Yorkin were truly an adventure!! As my Spanish is quite limited, it was a struggle (but not impossible) to communicate!! One afternoon with a pad of paper and my Spanish dictionary I actually had an intelligent conversation? I truly surprised myself and was quite proud of this accomplishment!! I brought my backpack full of presents for the villagers and the kids!! They called me Santa Clause and the next day it was so cute when the little girls came with ponyo's and clips in their hair and rings all over their fingers!! It was neat to see the sandals on everyone's feet or sitting by their huts! The dominos I broughtone night at the Pub were a great hit and we played MANY games!! The kids especially were hounding me to play and I would catch them cheating and call them little monkeys in Spanish and everyone would laugh!! I taught them to say" How you do'n??" like Joey on Friends!! We finger painted and colored one day!! I painted my face and the kids just howled!! Spent one afternoon teaching some English to the kids and some adults! I would sing them the ABC song and they would ask again and again!! They even brought out a guitar and I was continually asked to play the one song I know how to play, Garth Brooks' "Shes'Every Woman"!! I also played a rendition of Annie's Song that would make John Denver roll in his grave!! I was a hit!! Yorkin Idol 2007!! I knew my talent would be appreciated somewhere!! I even got some of the guys to play and sing a few songs in Spanish!! Everyone called me ROBERTO LOCO ( CrAzY Robert!!) I got special treats from the cooks!! They make these banana fried bread things that were delicious dipped in sugar!!
I helped pick cacoa with a family!! Their little girl led me around holding my hand!! She was soooooooo sweet!! The little boys would point and say "aqui", which means here, when there was one to pick and I would lift them up to pick the ones I couldn't reach!! I lost my sunglasses while doing this chore!! These beans are used to make chocolate which we did next!! The beans are roasted in a pan for about an hour, then ground, husks shaken out, then ground one last time to make a creamy liquid called chocolate!! Added sweetened cream finishes it off! The whole process takes a few hours!! I'm bringing some home with me.
Took tours in the jungle to see poison red dart frogs, bull ants, and other creatures!! I came back with rope vine around my neck, a decorated walking stick and our guide made me a head dress, so they called me their chief!! Went on a hike where we cut down coconuts to drink their water and eat the meat! We harvested palm hearts from the palm trees which die because of our effort!! We dug up ginger root and found wild cilantro, and ate sugar cane!! It was very interesting and made you feel more comfortable knowing that as long as you have a machete??, you can survive in the jungle!! We ate a lot of these things every day!!
Most of the time while I was out and about, Kyle was back at the camp either in the hammock or having a nap!! They called him "perezoso" or lazy!! He did very little most of the time, but it was nice to have someone to talk to and play cards with in the candle light! I played footsball(soccer) with the kids one afternoon!! We started nice, no kicking the ball while in the mud or water, then 20 minutes later we were in a mud fest, sliding and kicking up mud!! It was so much fun and the kids and I laughed so much!!
Then it was time for a swim in the river with the kids!! They were like fish!!The ladies were also at the river washing clothes and they were'nt using a Maytag!! The river was high because it rained every day we were there!! Sometimes only for a bit, one time for the whole night! The homes there are shacks on individual land, joined by dirt(mud!!)paths. We ate our meals at about 5 different homes, and usually sat on the floor to do so. The homes are very basic and usually quite dirty!! Candle light and sometimes solar electricity!! The mud paths were always a challenge and we would sometimes have a little boy guide us, and usually he would come get us without any light to guide his way in the pitch dark jungle!! We would take our flashlights!!
The people are all very friendly and are trying to use tourism to add to their income from banana and cocoa sales!! My last day there was spent in the jungle with two of the young men who were harvesting lumber!! I saw my first and hopefully last scorpion, we cut off his tail with a machetti!! A 90 year old tree was cut with permission! With a big ass chain saw, we cut the tree into 9 foot lengths, and then with a wood guide and level we cut off 3 sides of the bark. With an attachment for the saw, we then sliced off usually (9 - 11) ¾ inch pieces of lumber!! I was quite helpful and the guys called me" ROBERTO FUERTE" which is Robert Strongman!! We rolled the huge logs to get their good side and had to unjam the saw a few times! I think I surprised them as to how helpful I really was!! When we got back to the camp, they were saying "bravo Roberto!! The 50 pieces of lumber we cut that day will be used to build a casa(home) in the village!! What a great feeling!! I'm even choked up as I type this!!
I am so glad I chose this adventure!! Our final descent home was another dugout canoe ride (in the beautiful sunshine) back to the little village we were dropped off at 6 days before!! I gave my rubber boots to one of the guys who I worked with in the jungle cutting wood. His boots were cracked! What a trip!! A truly life altering experience!! The children were precious and made me miss my nieces and nephews immensely!! Would I do it again...In a heart beat!!
Comments
Roberto Mentiroso
Hello Robert Your ride was in time I picked you up on time I am the man who you contacted to do Volunteering in Yorkin. http://www.realworldcaribbean.com/volunteers.html
thank you for your promotion I am a real Costarican and I was on time. you were a little hungover because of your party the previous night, hahaha!!! nice pictures anyway. hope to hear from you soon.
Winston